Holidays in Limone at Lake Garda, Italy
Limone is situated on a narrow strip of land, squeezed in between the lake and the steep mountains flanking all the north-eastern shores. The narrow lanes of its small Old Town are crowded together on a very restricted area which is again crowded with people. Although the village has only around 1000 inhabitants, it is one of the favourites with tourist on Lake Garda. If you want to catch the most beautiful sight of Limone, come by boat. That way, you can see the remains of the numerous “limonaie”, the lemon orchards that once adorned the village. Nowadays, most of them are abandoned, leaving behind only the pillars that once supported the greenhouses.
The cultivation of lemons on Lake Garda dates back to the 13th century. In order to protect the delicate plants against night frosts, the locals started building sophisticated greenhouses with pillars to which wooden boards could be fixed for extra protection in winter time. Today, only a few “limonaie” have survived and are still producing lemons. Since 1866, when Lombardy joined the newly united Italian state and protective duties no longer applied, lemons imported from Sicily were available at much cheaper prices than the ones that were carefully grown and cherished in Northern Italy.
It’s true, on many houses and in many shops you will see painted lemons. Still, the name of the village does not originate from the Italian word for lemon, “limone”, but from the Latin word “limes” (meaning border). Nowadays, the only border you can find here is the one between Trentino and Lombardy. Yet up to the end of the First World War in 1918, this used to be the border between Italy and Austria.
| tourism office Limone | |
| Opening hours: |
Limone Via Comboni,15 25010 Limone Tel: +39 03 65954070 Fax: +39 03 65954689 |
